Photos of Grumman FM-2 Wildcat at Pikes Peak Airshow Colorado Springs

Here you will find photos of the Grumman FM-2 Wildcat. These in-flight photographs of the Grumman FM-2 Wildcat were taken at the Pikes Peak Regional Airshow in Colorado Springs on September 21, 2019.

A Bit of History of the Grumman FM-2 Wildcat

Built by the Eastern Aircraft Division of General Motors, the FM-2 Wildcat is basically an improved version of the Grumman F4F-4. It has a taller fin than the F4F, and the FM-2 was also modified to include an improved power plant. It was also designed to have increased ammunition capacity by reducing its armament from six .50-inch machine guns to four, and improved directional stability with a modified fin. This aircraft is an example of the 18,000 Grumman aircraft (TBM and FM-1/2) produced under license by Eastern Aircraft Division.

The designation FM-2 denotes an improved model of the F4F, incorporating an uprated R-1820 power plant (some models included water injection for increased power for takeoff from small deck escort carriers), an enlarged fin and rudder to counter the increased torque, and four gun armament with increased ammunition capacity. Most FM-2s were used in the Atlantic, operating from escort carriers involved in convoy protection and antisubmarine operations. The letter “M” in the aircraft’s designation is the company code for Eastern Aircraft Division of General Motors.

The Grumman FM-2 Wildcat Photo Gallery

Photographs of The Grumman FM-2 Wildcat

The following camera gear was used in the Aviation Photography of this aircraft at the Pikes Peak Regional Airshow in Colorado Springs, Colorado:

• a Nikon D850 with the Nikon MB-D18 Multi Battery Power Pack,
• F-Stop Gear Aloe Green Tilopa 50L Back Pack (with large Pro ICU),
• a Really Right Stuff TVC 34L tripod,
• the Movo GH800 Carbon Fiber Professional Gimbal Tripod Head with Arca-Swiss Quick-Release Plate,
• with a Really Right Stuff BH-50 LR Ballhead,
• and an AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens with a Really Right Stuff Tripod foot.

The in-flight photos were all taken with a Gimbal and tripod set up using the 200-500mm lens. The D850 exposures for the images average between 1/125 and 1/640 of a second at f/7.1 and f/8.0. The native ISO of settings of 64 was used on the Nikon D850 and all images captured as RAW files. We also used Adobe Lightroom Classic CC to process all of these images. Since this was a sunny blue sky day with very few clouds, we used Adobe Photoshop’s new new sky replacement feature to add clouds in most of these images.

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